Suspect arrested, cash recovered in Northfield robbery

NORTHFIELD — A lock box containing more than $1,000 in cash was recovered, and a suspect arrested, hours after the Saturday burglary of the Northfield Food Mart.

Owner William Barnes had arrived early in the morning to get ready to open the store, and noticed the back door had been unlnocked. By 8 a.m., he had discovered that the store’s lock box was missing and called police.

“We determined that the break-in occurred shortly after 2 a.m.,” said acting Chief Robert Leighton. He said the suspect had gotten in through a window in the Main Street market’s basement.

Leighton called in Sgt. Scott Minckler, and officers Jeremy Lawler and William Kimball. They gathered evidence at the scene and spoke to several witnesses. Together, they were able to develop a suspect, whose identity is not yet being released.

By 4 p.m., police had their suspect in custody. The 19-year-old man had been seen on Main Street, wearing clothes that matched those seen in surveillance footage of the burglary.

When questioned, he told them where to find the lock box, which he had hidden to retrieve later, said Leighton.

Two doors down from the market, in a brush pile behind St. Patrick’s Church, police retrieved the lock box, with every dollar still inside.

Leighton said the box was unlocked, but police were unsure if it had been opened before being hidden.

The suspect was taken to the Franklin County jail and is scheduled to be arraigned in Greenfield District Court today.

Leighton thanked the officers who came in to assist in the investigation.

“I was really fortunate to have my officers available to come in,” said Leighton. “We couldn’t have done this if it wasn’t for their dedication and commitment to the town. It wasn’t something that could have been done with just one person.”

David Rainville can be reached at:drainville@recorder.comor 413-772-0261, ext. 279